Revolution of the Park

The Revolution of the Park occurred from 26 to 29 July 1890 when supporters of the liberal Civic Union party, led by Leandro Alem and Bartolome Mitre, rose in rebellion against the conservative National Autonomist Party of Argentina, led by President Miguel Angel Juarez Celman. While the revolution was suppressed, it ultimately forced President Celman's revolution.

Background
Following the overthrow of Justo Jose de Urquiza by the liberal general Bartolome Mitre at the Battle of Pavon in 1861, the Argentine Civil War was brought to an end, and the capital of Buenos Aires was federalized, reunifying the country. The Liberal Party of Argentina dominated the country from 1861 to 1880, overseeing broad educational and infrastructural reforms. In 1880, the conservative war hero Julio Argentino Roca was elected President of Argentina as head of the National Autonomist Party, which nationalized the Catholic Church's educational system and several other functions for the benefit of the people of Argentina. Soon, surges of European immigrants and advances in infrastructure and education caused Argentina's economy to boom. However, under Roca's successor Miguel Angel Juarez Celman, who fradulently won the 1886 presidential election, the country soon fell into decline due to high inflation and rampant political corruption. In 1890, Mitre and Leandro Alem co-founded the Civic Union to oppose the corrupt National Autonomist Party's rule.

Revolution
On 26 July 1890, 3,000 policemen and several more soldiers loyal to the Civic Union launched an uprising at the Buenos Aires Artillery Park, counting on the indirect support of General Roca and the lack of opposition by General Mitre. However, government forces under Vice President Carlos Pellegrini, General Roque Saenz Pena, and General Nicolas Lavalle swiftly moved in to crush the revolutionaries, who lacked initiative and ammunition. The rebels were defeated in a matter of days, but the government's image suffered, especially after it arrested 2,500 spectators and members of both teams at a rugby match, suspecting them of holding a political meeting. Soon, President Juarez Celman was pressured to resign, and Vice President Pellegrini assumed office to complete the two remaining years in Juarez Celman's term.